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New Delhi: Congress
MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi Monday resigned as chairman of the
parliamentary standing committee on law and justice and as party
spokesperson in the wake of a CD controversy surrounding him,
saying that he had done so to prevent "even the slightest possible
parliamentary disruption".
Announcing his decision through a detailed press statement,
Singhvi said "canards and baseless allegations" were being spread
about alleged inappropriate conversation in the CD.
Singhvi said he had informed Congress president Sonia Gandhi about
his decision "not to brief the press" and his resignation as
chairperson of the standing committee.
"I have done this only to prevent even the slightest possible
parliamentary disruption regarding the purported CDs being
circulated about me. Since I am a disciplined party soldier, I did
not think it fit to subject the party to any inconvenience on this
account. All allegations are patently baseless and false."
Singhvi accused sections of print and visual media of spreading
falsehoods about contents of the CD and said there was no
reference to any illegality, corrupt practice, or wrongdoing.
"People inimically opposed to me, who have assiduously spent over
10 days hearing, seeing, amplifying and distilling the CD have
found no vestige of any reference, not even remotely, to any
illegality, corrupt practice, or wrongdoing. Specifically, some
sections of the print and visual media are spreading a falsehood
simply by repetition and hearsay that there is reference in the CD
to the promise of any post. No one has heard any such reference in
the CD. There is none simply because it does not exist. It is pure
imagination, wishful thinking and sensationalism," Singhvi said.
He said the canard was spread simply to give the issue a public
interest flavour.
"Since otherwise the contents of the CD, assuming them to be true
(which they certainly are not), would disclose only something
private and consensual giving a cause of action only to aggrieved
family members (who have stood completely by me) and to no one
else."
"It is lamentable that such canards are being spread about a CD
which has, in fact, been accepted thrice over to be fabricated and
morphed. The driver's disclosure statement to the police, his
detailed written statement (i.e. written pleading) in the High
Court and his oral statement recorded on oath physically in the
presence of the judge, all explain how and why he created this
fabrication," Singhvi said.
The Congress leader said a reputed media house, which was
co-defendant in the suit also recorded a consent statement based
on the statement of the author of the CD and a final permanent
decree of injunction has been passed over five days ago.
"It is noteworthy that the the driver's threatening and
blackmailing SMSes sent to my phone (including therein references
to a potential CD) had been recorded in the last week of march
itself (later extracted by the police), followed by a detailed
four-page police complaint filed as far back as 29/3/12, i.e a
full 13 days before the alleged CDs first surfaced in the media,"
Singhvi said.
Singhvi said the CD raises no public interest issues but has
evoked salacious private and prurient interest and demanded that
privacy issues be respected.
"Either the CD is morphed or it is not. In either event it raises
no public interest issue, yet evokes salacious private and
prurient interest and contumacious internet violation of a
flagrant kind. As a political or a professional class, instead of
gleefully watching, promoting or participating in a person's
natural and understandable discomfiture, we must respect privacy
issues," he said.
His resignation from the posts came a day ahead of the start of
the second phase of the budget session of parliament.
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